


Hubris Calls for Nemesis

by Isilarma



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Lots of Whump, Rescue, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-04 20:24:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isilarma/pseuds/Isilarma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The earth is protected. But are the Avengers?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to everyone over at The Beta Branch for checking this.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Tony tied off the last knot and sat back.

"That should do it."

Clint nodded but didn't look up from his own work. "Good."

Tony frowned. "Aren't you going to check?"

"Do I need to?" He gave a grunt as he pulled the strips of cloth perhaps a little tighter than he needed to. "It's not like you haven't done it before."

"Good point." He grinned at him. "That was fun."

Clint rolled his eyes. "You have an interesting definition of the word fun."

Tony considered. To most people, spending the evening escaping from a gang of kidnappers probably wouldn't be considered fun. He dismissed the thought with a shrug; they were hardly most people.

"How's your head?" His own was throbbing from the after-effects of the gas that had got them into this, and he was willing to bet that Clint's was to. Not that he expected the spy to admit to something as insignificant as a headache of course.

Clint shrugged. "Fine."

Why was he not surprised? "You sure?"

Clint raised an eyebrow. "How's yours?"

"...Fine." Clint smirked, and Tony was quick to continue. "Better than theirs anyway."

Clint's grin widened as he dumped his own unconscious guard next to Tony's. Both were dressed in nondescript uniforms, now somewhat ragged after being torn up to make bindings, and each had a gun strapped to his leg.

"So, when did you start making a habit of concealing miniature tasers in your cuff links?"

Tony shrugged. "Since I started getting kidnapped on a weekly basis."

"Don't exaggerate," said Clint absently, as he examined one of the guns. "It's rarely more than once a month."

"Twice a month," Tony protested. "At least." He frowned as Clint muttered a curse. "Something wrong?"

Clint dropped the gun to the floor in disgust. "It's coded to his fingerprints." There was an undertone of grudging respect to the words. "How many of those things have you got?"

Tony grimaced. "One more, the charge on this one's dead. Anyway, you're the assassin, why don't you find your own weapons?" He blinked as a thin knife appeared in Clint's hand. "Now why couldn't you have done that half an hour ago?"

Clint raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that my hands were stuck behind my back and there were four guns pointed at my head."

"So? I was able to get the taser out without too much trouble."

"Yeah, because they were all looking at me."

Tony waved a hand. "And I took advantage of the distraction. Let's just call it good teamwork and move on."

Clint was silent for a moment. Tony got the distinct impression he was counting to ten. "Fine. Got a plan?"

"I got us this far," Tony protested. "It's your turn now."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Yeah. That's the way it works."

Tony shrugged. "Well it's not like it's going to be difficult. Look how atrocious their performance has been so far."

Clint frowned at him. "Don't get careless. That gas did incapacitate both of us."

"Oh lighten up, will you? They might have gotten us here, but that doesn't change the fact that they've acted like morons ever since."

"This is serious, Tony," Clint snapped, and Tony's smirk faded at the genuine warning in his voice. "They extricated us from a building surrounded by security without a problem. People that good wouldn't be so careless now."

"Not unless they were trying to be," Tony finished quietly. His levity dropped like the mask it had become. "If we find a computer, I can get a message to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Clint nodded. "Better get going then. People will be looking for these two soon, if they aren't already." He made for the door, only to pause when he realised Tony wasn't with him. "Is this really the time for that?"

Tony didn't look up from where he was going through the pockets of the two guards. "You never know what you might find."

"We've already got their pass cards," Clint hissed. "They're professionals; they're not going to have anything else that might be of use for precisely this reason."

Tony ignored his impatience with the ease of long practice. "Calm down, this will only take – Huh."

"Stark?"

Tony blinked and held up a shiny smartphone. "I wish all my kidnappers were this accommodating."

Clint's eyes narrowed. "No one would carry something like this around with them normally."

Tony nodded, flipping the phone over in his hand. "They want us to call for help, don't they?"

"Most likely."

"So, we're bait?"

"Uh huh."

Tony scowled. "Why am I always bait? I hate being bait."

"Really? And here we were all thinking you loved it."

Tony chose to ignore that. "So, what do we do?" In this case, he was more than willing to defer to the spy's greater experience. Clint studied the phone for a moment before nodding.

"I saw we spring the trap."

Tony blinked. "Okay, why?"

Clint shrugged. "How else are we going to find out what they want?"

"What's wrong with some good old fashioned snooping?"

"We'll be doing that too," Clint assured him. "But I'll feel a lot more comfortable if I know there's back-up on the way."

Tony couldn't argue with that. This situation was giving him the creeps.

"Besides," Clint added after a moment. "Natasha will be disappointed if she doesn't get a chance to join in."

Tony shuddered. He would rather take on Loki without his armour than face Natasha in a bad mood. "Excellent point." He turned his attention to the phone. "Keep an eye out for people, won't you?"

Clint shot him a very pointed 'stop pointing out the obvious' look, but crossed to the doorway, the knife ready. Tony shook his head as he finished typing in the number and his send. This was going to be interesting.

\---

Steve Rogers was not having a good day. Not only had two of his teammates been kidnapped from what Hill had assured him would be a perfectly safe conference, S.H.I.E.L.D. was now having problems locating said teammates. Steve had to fight the urge to fidget. As often as he wished for a break from Tony's constant trouble-making, he had never wanted it this way.

The rest of the team weren't taking it much better. Thor was the only one looking even remotely normal, but he was wearing his armour, and his usual beaming smile was nowhere to be seen. He also had yet to let go of Mjolnir, a fact that Steve was actually rather grateful for considering Bruce's eyes had been flecked with green ever since he had heard the news. As for Natasha, she was glued to the screens depicting the progress of the search, and looking so calmly murderous that no one dared to pass within six feet of her.

Steve sighed. They were all on edge, and it was only going to get worse. Despite Fury's best efforts, they still had no idea who had taken their friends, let alone where or why. Needless to say, Fury was not impressed.

"There were four agents in that building," he growled. "Will someone please explain to me how not a single one of them noticed anything?"

Not impressed at all. He almost seemed to be taking the failure as a personal insult. Steve felt a twinge of sympathy for the hapless agent unlucky enough to catch his eye, but he was just as perturbed by the oversight as the director.

Coulson crossed to join them then, and as usual, Steve had to force himself not to stare. Despite being informed weeks ago of the agent's survival, it was still a shock to see him going about his business as if nothing had happened.

"Here are the reports from the witnesses," he said.

Fury took the files with a grunt. "Anything useful?"

"Not especially, considering all of them were all affected by the same gas as Barton and Stark."

Fury scowled and tossed the files onto a console. "Someone make a note to give the rescue party gas masks."

"Yes, sir."

"Assuming we can find them at all," someone muttered.

Fury's eye narrowed, and Steve glared round, but before he could identify whoever had spoken, the silence was broken rather abruptly by the familiar sound of AC/DC. Every eye turned to Bruce, who sighed but otherwise proceeded to answer his phone as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Hello... I'm glad to hear it... Of course you did... Yes, he is, here..." He held out the phone to Fury. "Tony wants to talk to you."

Steve stared at him, but Fury just raised an eyebrow and took it. "Someone get a trace on this." He turned his attention to the phone. "Stark, where the hell are you?"

Bruce glanced at the rest of the Avengers. "He says he and Clint are both fine," he reported quietly. "They have headaches, but were able to overwhelm their guards."

"Good," said Steve absently. He wasn't paying complete attention due to trying to eavesdrop on Fury's conversation too, but he focused rather quickly when Natasha's eyes narrowed.

"Did he happen to mention how he got hold of a phone?"

Brue grimaced. "He said they took it off of a guard." He nodded as her frown deepened. "They aren't happy about it either."

Thor glanced between them. "Is there a problem?"

"It shouldn't be that easy," Natasha explained quietly. "Not even for them."

Steve frowned. "You think it's a trap?"

"Don't you?"

Thor's grip tightened round Mjolnir. "It matters not. We must retrieve our comrades."

Coulson nodded. "They won't have the element of surprise any more."

Bruce blinked at him. "You're not going to tell us it's too dangerous?" Steve saw Thor lean forwards, and knew he was just curious about the agent's answer as he was. To his surprise, Natasha actually relaxed.

"We'll be fine," she said simply.

Coulson nodded to her. "Precisely." His eyes darkened. "Especially since I will be accompanying you."

Steve frowned, but said nothing. Coulson could more than take care of himself. A gang of kidnappers was hardly in the same league as an insane demigod after all.

At that point Fury stepped down to join them. "Agreed." He handed Bruce his phone back, before staring round at each of them in turn. "As you guessed, Barton and Stark were taken as bait. Barton is of the opinion that you should take it."

"We had come to the same conclusion, sir," Natasha said.

Steve tensed, expecting a protest, but Fury just nodded. "Good. Don't get careless."

Thor stood, his face fixed in its warrior mask. "We will not. And we will bring our friends back safely."

There was no trace of doubt in his voice. Looking round, Steve saw the same expression mirrored on each of his teammates' faces, and felt a surge of pride. They were they best, and he knew that they could do this.

He just hoped Tony and Clint could stay out of trouble until they got there.

\---

"Stay close," Clint hissed.

That was one order Tony was having no problem obeying. Clint had decided that it was too dangerous to stay in one place; that call was sure to have been detected, and neither of them particularly liked the idea of being captured again. Besides, it was a perfect opportunity to find out exactly what game their captors were playing.

Still, as they slipped through the deserted corridors, Tony found it increasingly difficult to ignore his rising concerns.

"I know I shouldn't be complaining," he muttered. "But shouldn't there be, you know, people around?"

Clint frowned. "Was wondering when you were going to notice that."

"Then what the hell is going on? They must have realised we've escaped."

Clint glanced back, and Tony had to hide his shudder at the darkness in the spy's eyes. "I'm beginning to think that we haven't."

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it again without speaking. The same thought had been growing on his mind ever since the discovery of the phone, and he really didn't like the implications. He suddenly found himself wishing he'd remembered to call Pepper that morning. He forced the thought from his mind. Think later. Action now.

"Any ideas?" he whispered.

Clint's jaw tightened. "Find information. Escape, if possible. Otherwise cause as much chaos as possible."

Tony allowed himself a smirk. "I think I can get behind that plan."

"Thought you might." His eyes narrowed as they rounded a corner to find a long corridor with a number of rooms leading off of it. "Now what do we have here?" He moved to look through the small window set in the first door, and Tony knew from the sudden tension in his shoulders that it was bad news.

"Let me see."

Clint stepped aside, his expression even more forbidding than usual. One glance inside was enough to explain why.

It was a laboratory, but one that was as far removed from what Tony was familiar with as the helicarrier was from his penthouse. Everything was in stark greys and whites; there wasn't a trace of colour in the whole room. The centrepiece was a long operating table, and Tony felt bile rise in his throat at the straps that lay upon it.

"Damn."

Clint nodded and turned away. "Come on." Tony shot the room a final loathing filled look and followed.

A quick inspection proved that the remaining rooms were similar to the first one. Tony paused at the end of the corridor and drew in a deep breath.

"I think we can guess what they had planned."

Clint grunted his agreement, and stopped outside the last door. "This one has a computer."

Tony grinned and cracked his knuckles. "My turn."

"Just be quick." He remained by the door while Tony took a seat. After a few minutes, Tony looked up.

"This is going to take a while."

"We don't have a while," Clint growled. "Get what you can in two minutes, then we're moving."

Tony didn't bother replying. He had expected the search to be relatively simple, but even getting past the security was proving troublesome. His eyes narrowed. This was new.

"Hurry up."

"Enough of the backseat hacking all right?" Tony hissed back. "This isn't easy."

"You hack S.H.I.E.L.D. on a regular basis; how are you having problems with this?"

"This is different. I haven't seen some of these before."

Clint stared at him. "You don't know something? Let me mark the date."

Tony ignored him. In any other circumstances, the prospect of a code like this would fascinate him. It fascinated him now, but the prospect of imminent recapture and torture and death tempered his excitement somewhat. Fortunately, another dozen seconds found him finally past the protections.

"There we are."

"Anything interesting?"

Tony didn't reply for a moment. He was too busy processing what he was seeing.

"Stark? What is it?"

Tony continued to stare at the screen. "Nothing."

"Tony-"

"There's nothing here."

"What?" Clint moved to look over his shoulder and swore viciously. "Damn it."

There was only one reason for a computer this heavily protected to be blank. Tony turned to meet Clint's gaze, not even trying to keep the anger from his voice.

"You know, I'm really beginning to get fed up of this."

"You're not the only one," Clint growled. He straightened up. "We're leaving. Now."

Tony stood up to follow, but he knew it was a futile gesture. This had been planned from the start, and they had walked into it like a pair of Hammer guards. Sure enough, he managed two steps before the door hissed shut. Neither of them were surprised when the pass cards failed to have any effect.

And then there came the now familiar hiss of gas.

Tony's breath caught in his chest as he tried to quell his rising panic. They had been played, and now they were going to pay the price. Clint took a step closer to him, his expression unreadable.

"It'll be fine," he said quietly. "They're still coming."

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but his mouth suddenly felt like cotton wool and all he could produce was an incoherent mumble. The gas still worked then, his mind supplied fuzzily, and he felt rather than saw Clint stagger next to him as he too felt the effects.

The last thing that crossed his mind as the ground rushed up to meet him was that the rest of the team had better not make the same mistakes that they had.

\---

Steve let out a long sigh as he stared down at the complex.

"This is going to be interesting."

Thor nodded grimly. "Indeed, but we will succeed. There can be no doubt of that."

Steve could only hope he was right. Whatever lapses of security, deliberate or not, there had been inside were not present now. Armed men patrolled in pairs at regular intervals around a tall fence, and the area was well lit by a number of spotlights.

"It doesn't look like we'll be able to take them by surprise."

"That's the whole point of springing a trap, Cap."

It took all Steve's self-control to keep from jumping like a frightened schoolboy. How did she do that every time? "Is that really necessary?"

Natasha's teeth flashed white in the gathering gloom. "Depends on your point of view." The levity disappeared from her voice as she continued, "It's the same round the back. Coulson will need a few more minutes to get his group into position."

Steve nodded an acknowledgement and turned to Bruce. "How are you feeling, Doctor?"

Bruce's face was completely expressionless, but his reply made Steve reach involuntarily for his shield. "Angry."

Steve and Natasha exchanged a long look, but Thor just grinned and clapped the scientist on the back. "And that is exactly what we need, my friend."

Bruce blinked, then his lips twitched into a slight smile. "Good."

Natasha smiled at him. "You're going to be fine, Doctor." She paused, evidently getting a message from Coulson. "Understood." She turned to the rest of them. "They're ready."

Steve hefted his shield. "Then let's go."

The plan was for them to act as the distraction while Coulson led his agents in to find their teammates. Fortunately, Thor was very good at attracting attention. In this case, by calling lightning down upon the spotlights. Result: chaos, and explosions.

"I think that did it," Natasha murmured to Steve.

Steve smirked back. "It's almost as if Stark was here."

Natasha grinned, and then they were fighting, and there was no time for banter. Steve blocked a vicious punch with one arm before driving his shield into the man's face. There was a startled yelp as the bone gave way with a crunch, and Steve had to fight back a surge of satisfaction. It was so tempting to unleash all the rage and frustration of the past several hours, but he knew that a wild rampage was not what was needed now.

Besides, he reflected, as half a dozen screaming men went flying through the air, the Hulk more than had that covered.

It didn't take long to gain entry. The electrified fence might as well have been paper for all the good it did, and trained though the guards were, Steve and Natasha went through them like a sickle through wheat. S.H.I.E.L.D. forces were arriving to take control of prisoners, and Steve turned his attention to the steel door.

"Thor, do you mind knocking for us?"

Thor grinned in answer, but even as he raised Mjolnir, the door slid open and a man stepped out. The Hulk roared a challenge, but Steve held up a hand, all his senses suddenly screaming at him. Something strange was going on here. He could understand them wanting to talk after seeing the devastation of their forces, but who would be foolish enough to send only one man?

Steve studied the man more closely. He was unremarkable to look at. Average height and weight, nondescript brown hair and eyes, plain suit. Not a single memorable feature. The sort of person one might pass in the street and have forgotten about the moment he was out of sight. Completely normal.

Too normal. But what really raised Steve's concern was that this man was facing down a demigod, a spy, a super-soldier, and a giant green rage monster, not to mention the team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, all without batting an eyelid. In fact, without showing the slightest emotion at all.

As if sensing his concern, Natasha drifted closer.

"Be careful," she murmured.

Steve nodded, but he hardly needed the warning. This was not typical. He glanced around. Thor was tensed for battle, but awaited his command. From the expression on his face, he too had been struck by the man's poise. Banner was the real problem but, for now, the Hulk seemed content to follow Steve's lead. Steve took a deep breath and stepped forwards.

"You are holding two of our teammates hostage. You will release them immediately, or face the consequences."

His voice rang through the silence, but to his shock, the man just turned his head slowly to look at him.

"I do not think so." His voice was as expressionless as his face, but that did nothing to decrease the menace in the warning. "You will surrender immediately."

"And why would we do that?" Thor growled.

In answer, the man pulled out a small globe. Steve tensed, along with everyone present, but it wasn't a weapon. Instead, a holographic screen appeared above it.

But any relief they might have felt died immediately as they finally discovered what had happened to their teammates.

Clint was bound to a chair to the side of the room, and although the quality of the image wasn't high, it was all too easy to make out the blood trickling down his face. He didn't make a sound, and Steve couldn't read him well enough to determine his condition, but the sharp intake of breath from Natasha next to him was more than enough to confirm his worst fears. She didn't move, didn't speak, but that single sound conveyed volumes.

As bad as Clint's condition was though, Tony's was altogether more alarming. He didn't appear to be visibly harmed, but, unlike Clint, he wasn't bound to a chair. Instead, he was strapped to an operating table. Memories of Bucky and the camps flashed before Steve's eyes but he forced the images aside. This wasn't the time. His concern deepened when he saw that Tony's shirt had been removed, revealing the glowing arc reactor set in his chest. The Hulk gave a furious growl, but stilled when Thor laid a hand on his arm, his own eyes like chips of ice. Steve took a deep breath.

"Release them."

"No."

"You-"

"You will surrender, or they will die."

Steve desperately tried to think of another option, anything, but bare seconds had passed before the man looked at the globe.

"Remove it."

Too late, Steve realised what was happening. "No!"

But on the screen, another man, as expressionless as the one talking to them, had already reached out and removed the arc reactor from Tony's chest.

The effect was instantaneous. Tony's eyes widened and he jerked back. His mouth was covered by a gag, but he caught Steve's gaze, and the terror in his dark eyes struck more heavily than Mjolnir. The Hulk roared his rage to the skies, but Steve ignored it, unable to tear his eyes from Tony's silent screams.

"Enough," Thor shouted. "He is a prisoner!"

"Precisely," said the man. "Now you will surrender. S.H.I.E.L.D. will leave. Or he will die."

And he would, Steve realised with a sickening lurch. This man did not want Tony alive for leverage, or for knowledge. He would die.

Steve had never surrendered in his life. He had never given up. But never had he stood and watched a friend die when there was any chance he could do something about it. Even this. He took a deep breath, and spoke the words he had never in his darkest dreams imagined he would say.

"We surrender." Bile rose in his throat, but he continued to meet the man's gaze as he dropped his shield to the floor. "We surrender." He didn't dare look around, but he heard the thud as Mjolnir fell, and felt Natasha relax from her combat posture, but didn't dare meet their eyes.

The man nodded once. The scientist replaced the reactor in Tony's chest, and Steve felt momentarily light-headed with relief as the billionaire's breathing eased, and the colour began to return to his cheeks. He looked away before he could meet Tony's eyes, shame flooding him as his arms were caught and held by two of the guards. Slowly, the realisation of what he had done began to sink in.

He had surrendered. He had failed.

God help them all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay everyone; the past few weeks have been a bit hectic. Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts and favourites, and a special thank you to everyone over at the Beta Branch for their help. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"And you were unable to assist them?"

Coulson had to draw on all his years of experience to continue to meet his boss' eye. "They were waiting for us. We weren't able to pass before they showed us the transmission." Shame rushed through him, and he had to fight to keep his voice even. "We were disarmed and escorted from the premises." He grimaced at the wording, even as he clung to the familiarity of the reports. Missions had gone wrong before, but nothing quite like this. Coulson drew himself up, waiting the reprimand he was sure was coming, but Fury just turned to stare out of the window.

"What do you think they want with the Avengers?"

Memories of Stark on the operating table flashed through his mind. "Experimentation, sir. I suspect Barton and Romanoff are being used as leverage."

Fury grunted. "They're not idiots." He turned back and leaned on his desk. "We made a mistake."

Coulson didn't reply. There was no point in denying it. They had known it was trap, had known their enemies were waiting, and they had still been taken by surprise. Coulson scowled. He hadn't expected them to really be willing to sacrifice Stark to achieve their aims; most people valued the man more highly alive. That these people would think differently had not occurred to him, and he did not appreciate being caught off guard. Fury glanced at him.

"We can discuss it later."

Coulson straightened at the unspoken reprimand. This was not the time to be worrying about what they could have done. "Yes, sir."

Fury took his seat and folded his arms. "Good. Now why don't you tell me the rest of it?"

Coulson didn't ask how he had known there was more. Fury was the one person he couldn't hide anything from. "They told me to give you a message, sir."

Fury's eye narrowed. "Let's hear it then."

Coulson closed his eyes for a moment. He had been the bearer of bad news more times than he could count, but he had never had to deliver a message like this. For the first time in his career, Coulson seriously considered lying to his superior.

"Coulson."

Coulson flinched at the warning in that one word. "Sir."

"Tell me."

There was no disobeying that order. Coulson took a deep breath and told him.

Fury listened in silence, his eye locked on Coulson's. He showed no emotion, not even when Coulson himself faltered. Only once Coulson finished did he stir. "I'm assuming this is non-negotiable."

Coulson glared at the floor. "They were very clear." If only he had been even a little better prepared...

"Coulson."

Coulson blinked and looked up. "Sir?"

Only someone who had worked with Fury as long as Coulson would have been able to detect the almost infinitesimal softening of Fury's expression. "You aren't the one who kidnapped them."

"I should have-"

"You did everything I told you to. Same as always. Understood?"

Coulson just nodded. He didn't trust his voice just yet. Fury rose from his seat and strode to the window. "I don't know about you," he said quietly. "But I have had quite enough of being on the losing side."

"Sir?"

Fury turned back, and Coulson recognised the glint in his eye. "Has anyone informed Ms Potts of Stark's absence?"

Coulson grimaced. "We didn't have to." Extricating Stark's AI from their systems had proved all but impossible. He expected the news to worsen his boss' mood, and so was startled to see a slow smile spread across his face.

"Ask her to join us, would you?"

Coulson frowned. "All due respect sir, but is that wise?" Pepper Potts was a remarkable woman, but even for her this situation would be difficult.

"Just do it, Coulson."

Coulson swallowed another protest and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He made it to the door before Fury stirred. "Coulson?"

Coulson glanced back. "Sir?"

Fury's grin turned predatory. "Tell her to bring JARVIS."

\---

"What the hell made you think this was a good idea? Did your brain get frozen in that ice?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Stark, it's the only reason you're still alive."

Clint ignored the discussion. He was rather more interested in breathing.

"Yeah, and I feel so much better knowing you're all locked up too."

"At least we're all alive. Now we can start thinking of a way out of this mess."

Clint quite liked the sound of that. Broken ribs got old very quickly.

"Is that what you call this? It's a bloody fiasco!"

"Then why don't you stop complaining and start doing something useful?"

Clint heard Tony draw in breath for a reply, but at that point, a new voice spoke up. "If the two of you don't shut up, it won't be that lot outside that you have to worry about."

Not even Captain America and Iron Man were foolish enough to upset the Black Widow. The atmosphere, already uncomfortable, became positively oppressive. Clint sighed and cracked open one eye. "Nat, I think they've got the message."

Natasha's glare switched from their teammates to him. "You're not supposed to be talking."

Clint shrugged as best he could. "I felt left out."

Tony folded his arms. "Lucky you."

Clint ignored the tone. Tony's shirt had been returned and the reactor covered, but it was impossible to hide the ashen pallor of his skin, or the way he kept his arms folded over his chest. Steve's jaw tightened but he kept his temper, choosing instead to change the subject. "I wonder if they'll let Banner and Thor join us."

Natasha shrugged. "They don't seem too concerned about keeping us separated. They're probably trying to find a way to neutralise their powers."

"Is that even possible?"

Clint grimaced. "No idea...but I wouldn't put it past them."

"If they don't just kill them to simplify matters," Tony muttered.

Steve frowned at him. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done it earlier. Whatever they want, they clearly need us alive."

Tony looked away. "Not all of us."

Steve looked stricken, but the door slid open before anyone could try to break the suddenly awkward silence. Clint felt Natasha tense, but their captors had dropped the incompetent act, and two guns were trained on them before anyone could even think to react. Steve rose to his feet, his expression very grim.

"What do you want?"

None of the men replied. Instead one of them stepped aside, and Bruce was pushed roughly into the cell. Steve steadied him, but in the moment's distraction, the door hissed shut. Steve scowled and turned to their teammate. "Are you all right?"

Bruce grimaced. "I've been better, but nothing major."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Then mind telling us what that is?"

None of them needed clarification. Bruce had been provided with a plain grey jumpsuit to replace his rags, but their other gift was rather less pleasant. Bruce's expression darkened as he touched the complicated looking collar around his neck. "They decided they needed to take precautions."

Tony glared at it. "Let me see." He tried to push himself upright, only to fall back with a muffled curse. Bruce's anger was immediately replaced by concern, and he hurried to his friend's side.

"You shouldn't be moving."

Tony waved him away. "Pease, I can handle it. Now gimme."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. They warned against tampering with it."

"Of course they did," said Tony impatiently. "But if we listen to everything they say we'll never get out of here."

Bruce sighed but sat next to him, angling his neck so that Tony could study the mechanism more closely. Clint, ignoring Natasha's warning look, pushed himself to one elbow for a better look. Tony's brow was furrowed in concentration, and, despite the precariousness of their situation, he seemed more at peace than he had all day. "Clever," he muttered. "Very clever."

"What is it?" Steve asked.

It was Bruce who answered. "It monitors my blood pressure and breathing rate. Once they get to a certain level, it reacts."

"Reacts how?"

At that moment, Tony tapped one of the exposed panels, and there was no need for Bruce to reply. Bruce let out a yelp as his entire body jerked, his face contorting into a mask of agony, while Tony pulled his fingers back with a curse.

"Damn them."

"Are you all right?" Steve demanded.

Tony nodded, but his expression as one of mortification as he turned to Bruce. "Bruce-"

"I'm fine," Bruce mumbled. His hands shook slightly, and his face was very pale, but he forced a smile. "They don't want to do any permanent damage yet."

Tony's fists clenched. "I'm sorry," he began again, but Bruce shook his head.

"It was worth a try." He leaned back against the wall with a sigh, then caught Clint's eye. "You should really be resting."

"I am resting," Clint protested. He did lie back though, the burn in his chest was quickly becoming unbearable. Natasha nodded approvingly, but Tony was still glaring at the collar.

"I really don't like these people," he growled.

"You're not the only one," Clint muttered.

Tony sat back, a dark scowl on his face. "If I had even some basic tools..."

"Well, we don't," said Steve quietly.

Their captors were certainly being clever now, Clint reflected grimly. Not even Tony Stark could make something out of nothing. Their cell was completely bare, and although they had been allowed to keep their uniforms, the look of pure murder on Natasha's face when she had entered had been enough to tell him that the search beforehand had been a thorough one. Clint would have admired their common sense, and their pure nerve, if he hadn't been so frustrated.

"So, what do we do?" asked Bruce after a moment.

Clint and Natasha exchanged a long look before Natasha shrugged.

"We wait."

"Wait," Tony repeated. His tone and face conveyed exactly what he thought of that plan, but Natasha just raised an eyebrow.

"Unless you have any better ideas?" she asked. Tony's scowl darkened, but he folded his arms and sat back without replying.

"You think Fury's working on it?" said Steve quietly.

Natasha shook her head. "No."

"What?"

It was Clint who answered. "We know he is."

\---

Hill leaned forwards, a frown creasing her face.

"Please tell me he isn't really going to go through with this."

Coulson didn't move his gaze from where his boss was talking to Pepper. "He isn't."

"You're a terrible liar."

Coulson sighed. "They refused to even discuss it. I could have offered them the Council and they would have refused."

"Pity," Hill muttered. "That would have been one way of getting them off our backs."

Coulson grunted his agreement, but their discussion was interrupted when Fury looked up and gestured for the two of them to join him. Coulson nodded to Pepper as he approached.

"Are you all right?"

She gave him a tired smile. "Well enough. It's hardly as if it's the first time." Her voice was quite calm, but Coulson didn't miss the pallor of her skin, or the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We will get them back," he assured her.

Pepper nodded. "Director Fury was telling me." She held out a tiny metal disc. "Everything you need is there. All you need to do is attach it to a console."

"I remember," said Fury dryly. "Thank you, Ms Potts."

"Don't thank me. Just get Tony out of there before he does anything stupid."

Fury grimaced. "Tall order."

Hill coughed loudly. "Sir, with all due respect, I really don't think this is a good idea."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You've got a better one?"

"Let Coulson or me go."

Fury looked pointedly at Coulson, who sighed. "Any deviation from their instructions will result in the immediate execution of two of the hostages."

"And they've made it pretty clear that they won't hesitate to carry out that threat."

Hill tried again. "But it's against regulations to negotiate-"

"I know what the regulations say," Fury interrupted. "I wrote most of them. And so far as I know, we don't have anything covering the abduction of a demigod who just so happens to be royalty, and two of the world's leading scientists. Remind me to fix that when I get back," he said to Coulson.

"Yes, sir, but I have to remind you that the Council will not agree."

"Right now I don't give a damn what the Council thinks. They haven't been able to make a single decision so I'm making it for them."

Coulson fell silent. Hill stared at the floor, her lips pressed tightly together. They were out of ideas. No matter how much they might hate the situation, there was no other option. And there was too much at stake to take chances. Fury looked at the two of them and sighed. "Coulson, with me. Hill, you're in charge until I get back."

Hill's face was like stone as she dipped her head. "Yes, sir."

Fury glanced at Pepper. "We'll get him back."

Pepper met his gaze without a flicker of hesitation. "I know."

Fury nodded, before striding from the room. Coulson made to follow, but paused when Pepper laid a hand on his arm. "Take care of him, Phil."

Coulson covered her hand with his own. "That's my job, isn't it?" He squeezed her fingers briefly before releasing them. "We'll be back soon." He shot one final glance at Hill before following Fury. There was work to be done.

He refused to think about what the result of that work would be.

\---

Clint had lost track of time. From the rumbling of his stomach, and the gradually worsening ache in the general vicinity of his chest he guessed it had been several hours, but he had been distracted too many times to be sure.

"Three and a half," said Natasha quietly.

Clint nodded. "Thanks."

Tony shook his head. "I don't care what you say, that's still creepy."

"Shut it, Stark," Clint muttered.

Tony smirked, but for once did as he was asked. Bruce glanced up at Steve who was pacing back and forth. "Do you find that helpful?"

Steve grimaced. "Not particularly. I wish we knew what was happening to Thor."

"They're taking a long time," Natasha agreed. "But if any of us can handle it..."

Tony leaned forwards. "I want to know how they're planning to hold him. Bruce I can understand, but Thor's powers are part of who he is."

"I've been wondering the same thing," Bruce admitted. His hand rose unconsciously to the collar and his expression darkened. "But I'm sure they'll come up with something."

Clint glanced at him. "No luck with the Other Guy then?"

Bruce's eyes gleamed. "Not yet."

Tony shot him a sharp look, but before he could question it the door opened once again and they discovered exactly what had happened to their missing teammate.

"Thor!"

As startling as Bruce's collar had been, the sight of the Asgardian was a hundred times worse. Thor's blond hair was damp with sweat, his eyes were closed, and his legs seemed unable to bear his weight. Steve caught him before he hit the floor, his eyes widening in alarm.

"He's burning up."

Bruce was immediately by his side. "Let me see."

"What's going on?" Tony demanded. "I thought Asgardians couldn't get sick. No one ever said anything about Asgardians getting sick."

"No," said Bruce quietly. "But they can be poisoned."

Tony paled sharply at his words, and he wasn't the only one. Clint suddenly felt sick; he had seen Thor injured before, they all had, but the demigod was always back on his feet looking none the worse for wear in a matter of hours. None of them had ever seen him like this. He heard a short ugly burst of Russian, and felt absurdly glad that not even Natasha had expected this. Bruce ignored the commotion, his eyes narrowed as he took Thor's pulse.

"Too fast, and his breathing..." He looked up. "He needs a doctor."

Steve frowned. "At the moment, you're the best he's got."

"That isn't going to be enough," Bruce insisted. "He needs proper help, and soon."

Clint stared at him. "But he's practically immortal. How can a puny mortal poison be enough to kill him?"

"I don't know, but do you really want to take the chance?" He ran a hand through his hair. "He's stable for now, but there's no telling if his condition might worsen. And with his physiology, there's nothing I can do."

There was a long silence. Clint looked round at them all, from Tony's drawn face to the collar around Bruce's neck, and back to Thor's shuddering body, and for the first time since this mess had begun he felt a flicker of fear. Natasha's hand brushed his shoulder, and he drew strength from the contact.

"Fury and Coulson are on it," he said quietly. "We won't be here long."

Tony snorted. "You sure?"

Natasha glared at him. "You might not like him-"

"Really? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"-but he never leaves us behind," Natasha continued, as if he hadn't spoken. "Or at least doesn't protest when Coulson goes back."

Tony's fists clenched. "I still don't trust him."

"You don't have to," said Steve. "But he won't leave us here."

Bruce glanced up at Tony. "I don't trust him either," he said quietly. "At least not completely. But they will come." He turned back to his patient. "Besides, would Pepper let them do any less?"

That brought a ghost of a smile to Tony's face. "Not if they know what's good for them."

Clint caught Natasha's eye and grimaced. They were both aware of their teammates' distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D., and of Fury in general, but although they understood it, they didn't share it. They had been through too much, and owed Fury too much for that. Convincing their friends of that however, was going to take a little longer. Natasha gave a slight shrug of agreement, but just then their attention was diverted by a rasping cough.

"Thor."

Clint shuffled over, mindful of ribs, in time to see Thor's eyes flicker open. "W-what-"

"Take it easy," said Bruce gently. "It looks like you've been poisoned."

Bleary blue eyes locked on his. "Poisoned?"

"It looks like it. Did they say anything about what they were doing?"

Thor frowned. "I do not remember. Everything seems hazy, unclear..."

Bruce sighed. "Never mind."

Thor's brow furrowed. "They – they dared to bind you-"

Bruce's hand drifted almost unconsciously to the collar. "Don't worry about it."

"The others-"

"We're all fine," Steve assured him.

"Tony, Clint-"

"Nothing to worry about, Big Guy," Tony put in. "I'll be fine in a bit. Clint'll have to spend some time in his favourite infirmary though."

Clint pulled a face. "Something to look forward to."

Thor attempted a smile. "It is necessary, my-" He broke off abruptly as a shudder wracked his body, his face going a somewhat alarming shade of green. Bruce laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Lie back."

Thor did as he asked. "It appears I will be joining you in captivity," he murmured to Clint.

Clint managed to grin back. "Let's see if we can beat the previous record."

"Which one?" asked Natasha dryly. "Fastest escape time, or most doctors resigning in the space of your stay?"

"Why not both?"

"Not the second," said Tony. "That one's mine."

"You sound far too pleased with that," Steve muttered.

"What? It's an accomplishment."

Steve and Bruce exchanged an exasperated look, but Clint saw some of the tension leave Thor's body at the banter. He closed his eyes and tried to find a comfortable position for his own injuries.

He needn't have bothered. Barely two minutes later, the door opened again.

"Get up."

Steve and Natasha were the only ones who did so.

"What is going on?"

Guns were levelled. "On your feet."

Tony muttered something inaudible under his breath, but used the wall to push himself up. It took both Steve and Bruce to help Tor up, and even then the demigod had to lean heavily on Steve. Natasha offered Clint a hand, all the while not taking her eyes from the guards.

"Are we going to get an explanation?"

The man who had spoken pointed with his gun at Clint, Natasha, Thor and Tony. "You four will come with me."

Steve eased Thor over to Bruce and stepped in front of them. "What do you want with them?"

"Cap," Natasha hissed, but the man just looked at him.

"They are unnecessary. They will be released."

Clint stared at him. Released? That couldn't be right. Steve looked equally taken aback, but now Tony stepped forwards to join him.

"And what about them?" he asked, jerking his head at Steve and Bruce.

"They will not."

"If you think-"

"You will come, or you will be shot."

"Go," said Bruce quietly.

"But-"

"That's an order," Steve snapped. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

Tony's jaw clenched, but Clint caught his eye and shook his head, and he pulled himself together with a visible effort. "Fine." He glanced at Bruce. "See you soon, yeah?"

Bruce managed a slight smile. "Yeah."

Thor gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. "We will return," he said softly.

Steve just nodded. "We know."

"Enough. Move."

None of them dared protest this time. Tony and Natasha moved to support Thor, Clint following more slowly. He didn't understand what was going on, but he suspected there was more to it than the fact that they weren't needed. Even if they weren't as important as Bruce or Steve, they were still valuable hostages. Why were people who had proved so competent so far giving up such an advantage?

That question was answered the moment they stepped out of the main door.

"Director Fury."

Everything snapped into place, and Clint had to bite back a curse. Four hostages for one might not seem like a good deal, but when that one was the executive director of the world's leading espionage force... Tony's eyes widened.

"Fancy seeing you here, Nick."

Fury shrugged. "Well, I've heard a bit about the place. Thought it might be time to take a look around."

"Might I suggest that this isn't one of your better ideas, sir?" said Natasha. There was the slightest trace of tension in her voice, but for Natasha that was the equivalent of a full blown tantrum, and Clint found himself leaning away unconsciously. Fury, however, just raised an eyebrow.

"Only if you don't mind me not paying attention." His eye narrowed as he looked at Thor. "What happened?"

"That is not your concern," the man interrupted.

Both Fury and Natasha ignored him. "Banner thinks poison. We'll sort it."

"See that you do. I doubt the Allfather will be particularly impressed otherwise."

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He turned his attention to Clint. "Try to at least stay in bed long enough for them to get the wrappings on this time."

Clint offered a lopsided smile. "Do my best, sir."

"Stark, if you give Hill any trouble, I will make you pay for it."

Tony swallowed. "Got it." His eyes looked a little wild, but he didn't get a chance to continue before the man stepped between them.

"Enough. You will leave."

Clint was sorely tempted to argue, but one look at Fury's face was enough to disabuse him of that notion. Natasha hesitated a moment longer before nodding.

"All right."

"But," Tony began, but he broke off abruptly when Natasha grabbed his arm.

"We don't have a choice," she hissed. "We'll come back later."

Tony's expression hardened. "I'll hold you to that." He glanced at Fury, and jerked his head. "Try not to get killed before we get back."

Fury rolled his eye. "At least it would be peaceful."

"So not funny." But his grin didn't reach his eyes, and Clint knew he was about as happy with the situation as the rest of them.

"Get out of here, Stark."

Tony offered a surprisingly crisp salute. "Sir, yes sir."

"One minute."

Clint tensed, even as Fury glared round. "What? We've done everything you said."

The man responsible for this mess walked forward until he was standing beside Tony. "You have. But we are not quite finished."

"What do you mean?" Tony demanded.

"You have something that we need."

Tony's eyes widened, but before he could move, he found his arms seized by two guards. Natasha began to move forward, only to find four guns surrounding her. Fury was in the same state. Clint was faced with three, and felt a brief surge of resentment that he wasn't considered as dangerous, but all frustration fled as the man drew a knife and began to cut away Tony's shirt. Tony swallowed visibly.

"I thought you said we weren't necessary."

"You are not," said the man. "What you carry might be."

"Might be?"

"We do not know. But it is better to be prepared. Don't you agree?"

Thor straightened, heedless of the guards around him. "Do not do this," he growled. "It will not end well."

"For you, maybe." He gestured, and Thor doubled over as the butt of a gun was slammed into his stomach.

"Stand down," Fury snapped.

Thor glared at him, but the man took advantage of the distraction to reach out and take hold out the arc reactor. Tony thrashed violently, a stream of curses flying from his tongue, but there he was nothing he could do to keep the man from taking the one thing that kept him alive.

"No," Thor snarled, but the man was already drawing back, his eyes on the glowing mechanism. He paid no attention to Tony's desperate struggles for breath, or to the tirade of Russian that Natasha sent his way. For his part, Clint could only keep his eyes on Tony, as he writhed in the grip of the guards. How had everything gone so wrong so fast?

Fury whirled on their captor, and his expression was more dangerous than Clint had ever seen it. "That was not the agreement."

The man just looked at him. "We said we would release them once we had everything we needed. Now we do."

Fury's fists clenched and Natasha tensed, but there was nothing either of them could do. There were too many guards with too many guns, and Clint knew that even if they hadn't been injured, they could not take this many. Tony fell to the floor, his breath a harsh rattle, and his face bone grey. Thor glared daggers at the man, but it was clear it was all he could to stay on his feet.

Not once did the man's expression change.

"There is a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft waiting for you outside. Whether you make it to safety or not is not my concern."

For a long second, Clint could only stare at him. Then he saw Tony's ashen face as he clutched at the gaping hole in his chest, and saw Thor stagger, and knew that they had no choice.

"You get Stark," he growled. "I'll take Thor."

Natasha looked about as happy as Clint felt, but she reached down and looped one of Tony's arms around her shoulders. Clint did the same for Thor, clenching his teeth against the pain that lanced through his chest. Thor seemed to sense his discomfort for he forced himself upright, relieving the pressure a little.

"We will make it," he said quietly.

Clint nodded. "I know."

But he couldn't help looking back at Fury. His boss met his gaze steadily.

"Go, Agent," he said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Clint closed his eyes. "Yes, sir."

He wouldn't do anything stupid. They had learned that lesson well. But as Clint turned to make his way to his waiting colleagues, and heard Tony's pained moans, he was certain of one thing.

This was not the end. The people stupid enough to capture them, and torture them, and almost kill them were going to pay. And if Tony, or Thor, or any of them did die, then Clint would show them exactly who he had been before S.H.I.E.L.D. And Natasha would be right there alongside him. They would avenge their friends.

Whatever the cost.


End file.
